Meet this week's Cook of the Week Challenge judges
Chef Ahmed Azizy
Executive Chef Westin Chicago Northwest
Born and raised in, Morocco, Ahmed Azizy took a circuitous route to the world of "chefdom." Following his 1991 graduation from The New England Culinary Institute, Chef Ahmed accepted a position at Chicago's Ritz Carlton and The Four Season's hotels along the The Magnificent Mile, where he quickly worked his way up the fine dining corporate ladder.
Some of his awards and achievements are: a 1996 first-place win in the US Division of the Grand Prix Auguste Escoffier Competition and in Nice, France, as the sole US representative, he placed second overall in the 1997 Auguste Escoffier World Competition.
In 2008 Chef Ahmed joined Charlotte's GF Hotels - Hilton university place and currently The Westin Chicago Northwest, Executive Chef. Chef Ahmed oversees the banquet kitchen, as well as, the culinary team in all three restaurants at the hotel; Seared, 400 Park Bistro, Market Place.
Chef Rachael Kunst-Curotto
Chef Manager, AMITA Health System Corporate Office, Lisle
Rachael Kunst-Curotto studied culinary arts at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute in Chicago, part of Le Cordon Bleu. She believes in a healthy and creative approach to her cooking and enjoys sharing that with others.
When not in the kitchen, Rachael enjoys running, going to concerts and spending time with her family.
Beth Nielsen
VP of Culinary - Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
Beth Nielsen is a third-generation owner and manager of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, serving as Vice President of Culinary. Her responsibilities have included overseeing the company's international division and its food service division, sales and recipe application, research and development and product innovation.
Before returning to Nielsen-Massey Vanillas in 2006, Beth founded and operated her own successful business, was a restaurant manager in resorts and fine dining and served as the financial controller and director of marketing for a team that opened five Nation's Restaurant News' Hot Concepts Award-winning restaurants.
Beth has been the guest speaker at many conferences, seminars and culinary schools, educating chefs and attendees about Nielsen-Massey's products.
She spends her free time experimenting with Nielsen-Massey extracts and products in the kitchen, hosting chefs from around the globe and tending to her organic vegetable and herb garden.
Stacy Williams
Marketing Manager for Greenridge Farm
Stacy Williams was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and has always loved to cook.
Eating healthy, all-natural foods has become increasingly more important to her and her family so being a part of the Greenridge Farm team was a no-brainer for her. She admits to being a bit of a control-freak in the kitchen- wanting things to always be done her way.
Ironically though, this rarely means following an exact recipe.
She loves to switch up ingredients when she cooks and hates using precise measurements.
She is a firm believer that every meal tastes better with garlic and when shared with family or friends.
Chef Suzy Singh
R&D Corporate Chef at NOW Foods
Chef Suzy Singh made it to the Top 4 in FOX's "MasterChef" Season 2 (2011-2012). While cooking has always been a passion of Suzy's, it hasn't always been her profession. In fact, as a first generation South Asian (Punjabi, Sikh), Suzy practiced in the field of Neurosurgery as a Neural Engineer before making the switch to follow what she loved.
Suzy joined NOW® Foods as R&D Corporate Chef in 2013 to drive new product development and create healthy solutions for existing products in the Food category.
Her talent for cooking is matched only by her passion and commitment to helping people live healthier lives through food.
Suzy is currently heading up the product development of a new line for NOW Foods called Ellyndale.
This line is a focus on delicious, healthy and innovative products and really allows Suzy passion for great tasting healthy food to come to life.